Feed regulator



Jap. 13, '1931. J. J.THACHER FEED REGULATOR Filed Feb. 1, 1926 IHNUH IEl Patented Jan. 13, 1931 UNITED STA-Tas PATENT OFFICE JOHN J. THACHER,Yor WETHERSFIELD, CoNNECTiCUT, AssIGNoR To THE. FULLER.'

BRUSH COMPANY, OF HARTFORDCONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF` CONNECTICUTFEED REGULATORl Application led February 1, 19226.V Serial No. 85,085.v

My invention relates to the class of devices that are employed forregulating feed of material, more especially to mechanism forsubsequently performing an operation or operations upon such material,it having been found that the apparatus is especially useful in itsoperation upon bristles or other fibers to promote the feed thereof tomechanism for incorporating such material in brush v1o structures, andan object of my invention,

among others, is the production of av feed regulator that shall besimple in construction and particularly efficient in operation toproduce a regular, steady and even feed of the material, as from ahopper or receptacle in which said material is contained.

One form of deviceembodying my invention and in the construction and useof which the objects herein set out, aswell as others,l

may lie-attained, isillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a view inside elevation of a mechanism embodying Ymyimproved regulator. v Figure 2 is a similar view, but looking from theright in a direction at right angles to the point of view of Figure 1.

In the operation of feed devices it often happens that the forcestending to promote 3o feed of material are more or less uneven and arenot applied to the same degree at all times, wherefore the feed of suchmaterial is uneven and irregular. This is especiallyT true in the Caseof gravity feed devices for the reason that as the material lessens inbulk and reduces. in height and weight, the force tending to dischargesuch material from the lower end of a hopper Orsimilar receptacle isgradually lessened with a tendency to an emission of less and 'lessmaterial as the operation progresses.

My improved apparatus, while not limited in its use in connection withany particular mat'erial, or for the supply thereof to mechanism of anyparticular type, is especially useful in its operation upon bristles orsimilar fibers that are delivered to brush forming mechanism, which maybe of any suitable type.

My improved regulator Y provides means for counteracting the lesseningof the force that is applied to a mass of material lvertical. lyarranged and thatl is discharged fromthe bottom of a receptacle, as ahopper, this being accomplished by gradually increasin the artificialforce (as a weight or spring? that is applied tothe mass as conditionsmay decrease the effects of the naturalV force (gravity). My improvedregulator may be embodied in the mechanism' shown in the drawingsherein, which mechanism comprises a base V5 having a column 6 risingtherefrom with afeed shaft 7 rotatably mounted therein, a driving pulley8 being secured to said shaftas a means for rotating it, and a feed disc9 also being securedv to said shaft to receive material,- as threadsorsimilar material 10,

fibers, bristles,k from a hopper or chute 11, and deliver said fibers toa carrier, as belts 12, and by means ,of which carrier the fibers may beconveyed -to mechanism for performing any desired operation upon 4or inconnection with them. In this operation it Willbe understood that' thefeed isc 9 is rotated and collects masses of material from the hopper 11for the ldelivery'of said materialseparately to the carri-er 12.

It is common `practice in the manipulation of fibers by means of avchuteor hopper, to place a weight uponsuch mass within v.the hopper, vbutv inmy improved device I edect this result by placing the weight outside ofthe hopper and by connecting it with a feed plate 13 that is pressedupon the top of the pile kof fibers 10.` A rod 141 is attached to thatas it is moved, as by a weight 18, the l point: of applicationbfthe'force by said weight will Vbe changed whereby such forcev Itransmitted Vby themember V17 will be likewise changed'.`V Thisveffect-may be accom plished in many different ways. In the structureherein shawn the, alarmbel'V 17,V @Sea sheave, is of spiral form as to aportion thereof, with a groove in its outer surface and of spiral formto receive the tensioning member or cord 16. This member, to the outerend of which the weight 18 is secured, passes from saidrweightfaroundthat/portion of the sheaveil' of the lesser diameter, andA that' portionof the member 16 passing from the sheave tothe rod 14E extends f romthat part ofthesheave'of*larger,'diameter. Y l l From thus'itwill'benotedtliat'fthe o're of the weight 18 is n y 16 to the feed plate13, and as the latter is lowered, as the fibers areremoved from thechute, Ythe shea-ve or force regulating member 17 will*be-rotatec'l`in acontra-clock# wise directionj in which movement thatpart ofthe cord 16"p'assing'fromVV the sheave to the weight 18* willbe carried farther'yand farther from the axialcenterofsaid sheave,

thereby increasing the leverage through whichV the` weight 18" acts andconsequently increasing'the force applied'by said weight uponthe feedplate 131' It will, therefre, be notedtliat as the 4pile offibers',bristles, threads or similar material, is gradually reduced within"thehopper' and the weight thereof lessened, this' reduction in weightwill be'com'pen'sated for' by the effects produced bythe Weight 18, soVthafthe applicationofforce to thetopfof the pile of fibers 10 l andconsequently lthe fpressurefof' the pile again'stthe edge of the 'disc 9will besubstantially the same when' the-mass of'suchffibers'x is nearly'removed froni"s`aid"chute"as itt will be'when said chute is'practically"illedwithv fibers.

The'plate 13 is pi'votally attached tothe rod le, so that in placingmoreffibers in' the upper end of thehop-per lthe pressure of the plateon the pilev in the' lower vpart-of the hopper vneed not be relieved forany great length'of time', the mass'introduced atpthe top of the-hopperside out ofthe openside` of the hopperv and from underneath' the massonf the plateV and then' quickly raised vand replaced on the eX- tremetop of the mass' by swinging it into the hopper through the opensidethereof.

Wherever thel term' libers"is employed4 l hereinto denote the mass ofmaterialwithiny the hopper, I intend vtoY bei* includedwithinsaid'termall material of whatsoever kind that" may be employed in themaking ofbr'ushes,

such as bristles, threads; or rawy or preparedkk or any other -bruslrmaterial vegetable fibers, whatsoever;V

In accordancefwith thel provisions of the l patent statutes I havedescribed the principles" together with the-device"whieh In'owconsiderfto represent the 'best embodiment" thereef; butvI desire'to ofoperationV of my invention,

have itI undergasod'that the? device shown isf only;illustrative',andftharttefinveae may transmitted by the cord beingplaced on top of the plate'and'thelatten then being swung to one n becarried out by other means and applied to uses other 4than'those aboveset out.

1. A feed regulator comprising a receptacle, a pressure applying memberfor exerting force upon a mass of material within the receptacle,meansfor removingmaterial from thebottom of said-mass, and regulatingmeans connected with ksaid pressure applying member, saidregulatingmeans'` includingiay sus-V pendedweight having a cable'connection withsaid ,pressure applying member and a variable power transmitting meansacting on the cable to cause an increase'of force on the pressureapplying member as the mass is reduced 3. A1 feedfV regulatorVcomprising `a receptacle, a plateto rest upon materialwithinsaidreceptacle, rigid member projecting from Sadfplate, a pivotany mountedlregulator havinga groovegraduallyl'approaching the axial centerythereof, ai flexiblev member 'secured' to said rigid'membe'r ,and'wrapped around said regulator in said groove', and a weight at- Vtached to said flexible'member.

JOHN J. THACHER".

